Run Reckless
by Harlequin-Istic
Summary: Georgiana is a privileged young woman, sheltered on the Island her father Governs. But what happens when a chance to free herself arrives? Can Law, the Pirate Captain, offer her such a chance or will he himself suffer at her father's hands?
1. Gee and her bad habits

They say that once, centuries ago, four pirate lords joined together in a pact. This pact was to promote a certain harmony, a ceasefire between one another.

The deal was to bury their treasure as a way to make sure none of them would attack or kill each other. This was a way to safeguard their self-built empires.

Each pirate lord originated from four different corners of the world, making a unanimous decision that should any of them die the treasure they bury would be divided equally amongst them.

Although the locations of their treasures were kept secret to others, the co-ordinates of each lord's horde were marked on four seperate maps only to be shared when a lord died.

Eventually, all the lords were killed before any could uncover the others treasures. It was a tale often told to young children to inspire hope and spirit. The treasure was still out there.

Georgiana stood, breathing heavily outside her balcony doors. The smoothed surface of the wall she leant against chilled her through her diaphanous nightgown.

The wind coming in from the sea offered her no protection against the sudden cold and she decided to move from her hiding place. Whilst moving, she heard her maid calling for her quietly.

"Miss Georgiana! Miss, where in heaven's name are you girl?" Her maid, Sara, was aged and akin to a great aunt. "You better not have hid away again or come morning, your father shall know!"

Georgiana snorted silently. What a threat.

She noticed her shivering had not quelled and continued on her mission. Looking down at the crumbling bricks that made up her family's large manor home, she reached out tentatively with her left foot.

Good. Nothing broke beneath her weight so she continued her way downwards. By the end, she had various grazes and scratches on both her knees and feet but still she persevered.

Her father, the Governor of Jamaica, presided over the small island they called home. Whilst officially named Port Royal, Georgiana liked to call it Port Insufferable.

She looked around the outskirts of her father's property for the familiar gap she used to break out. As usual, she lifted the haphazardly placed wooden plank to squeeze through the small hole.

The young woman silently prayed to the powers that be for her mother's physique, tall but slim. It helped when she needed to reach places other ladies could not and also for instances such as the one she was currently in.

After brushing past some overgrown shrubs, Georgiana sighed happily as she strode silently and carefully through the village.

Many of the village's inhabitants were asleep whilst others were too occupied to notice a young woman strolling past their homes. Eventually, once she reached her destination, Gee paused.

Up close, the ships parked in the Port's docks seemed much larger and Georgiana found herself almost slightly scared. Then again, Georgiana had never felt fear in her life and chose to carry on.

She shrugged her wrap closer and braved the dangers of the open water to inspect one ship more closely.

Deciding enough was enough, Georgiana began to turn towards the direction she had come. Before doing so however, she noticed a ship in the distance heading seemingly for the island.

Her breath escaped her as she noticed the colour of the sails. Black. The sign of a pirate ship.

She hitched her nightgown higher, baring her smooth calves, and ran for her home. As soon as she reached her bedroom, she rushed downstairs to the foyer where she knew her father's manservant, Frederick, would remain on the odd chance of any late-night visitors. He would remain at his post until granted permission to retire for the night.

"Miss Georgiana! May I enquire as to the reason for your being out of bed?" If one did not know Frederick, one might have thought his tone to be scolding but Georgiana took it for what it really was - concern.

She smiled despite her rising panic. "Do not fret for my absence Frederick - where is my father?"

The old man shook his head worriedly, a frown placed upon his lips. "I believe him to be in his office, my lady. With Commodore Llewellyn."

Normally, Georgiana in her inquisitive nature would have asked about the presence of the Commodore but due to a much more pressing matter, she refrained from doing so and ran for her father.

"Father!" She called when she entered his office. Both men looked up at her in surprise.

Her father rose angrily. "Georgiana-" His voice held a reprimand and a warning simultaneously.

"No, father you must listen! There is a pirate ship headed for the island!" Before either man formulated an appropriate response, Georgiana became aware of her improper attire and quickly snatched one of her father's spare coats from the stand in the corner.

"Llewellyn, please assemble your men and meet me at the docks. We shall stop these goddamned fiends before they terrorize any more people." With a significant look at Gee, Commodore Llewellyn left hurriedly.

Before thinking too much on what that could have possibly meant, Georgiana turned to her father. "Georgiana, I want you to gather your sister and both of you hide in the cellar. This is much too dangerous for either of you."

Knowing there was no point in arguing with her father, Gee left to find her younger sister Jane.

Her sister lay in her bed, probably fast asleep like a proper young lady. "Jane," Georgiana shook her sister awake. "Jane, come with me, quickly now." Minutes passed as Gee woke her sister from her dreamy reverie.

As they both headed for the cellar, the door to their home banged open, a dead soldier falling to the ground.

Georgiana took a sword from her father's wall stand in preparation for any oncoming attack, but nothing happened. She kept the sword with her while ushering Jane through the pantry into the cellar.

As the sounds of cannons and gunfire penetrated the manor's walls, Gee found herself torn. One part of her wished to go, see the action, feel it. The other deemed such an idea preposterous and foolish.

So, naturally, Georgiana chose to listen to the former. She uttered a quick, harried apology and goodbye to her sister and rushed out the door, hitching her chemise and father's coat as she went.

She must have looked a sight, running like a village girl across the island towards the docks in such an outfit. If only the upper-class society saw her now, they would have perished. Gee laughed wildly at the thought.

Her long mahogany locks streamed behind her, a reckless banner of reds and browns. Her feet hurt from running over such rocky ground but finally, Georgiana could see the battle before her.

The ships once parked in the docks were free now, fighting the pirate ship's cannons with their own. A giant cloud of black smoke billowed from a burning ship and Georgiana felt a flicker of fear for her father.

She continued towards the beach where she could sit and watch the ongoing fight. Hours passed with no recognition of the time from Georgiana, and eventually the battle died down.

As soon as she realized the pirates had been taken, Georgiana followed the sounds of the soldiers' conversations towards where the foreign ship was being brought in to the docks.

Her breath caught as she tried desperately to search for her father in the crowd of men. Her slender shoulders slumped in relief when she found his familiar grey wig underneath his hat.

She went to stand behind her father and Commodore Llewellyn as the pirates were gathered from their ship. Gee noticed a distinctive mix of people; a black woman with white hair, an old man with a whole ear completely pierced, a young man with a hand missing and many more odd characters. The person she noticed most though, was being led first and wore the three-pointed hat of a captain.

He had dark eyes, an unblemished, pale complexion and equally pale silvery hair. He wore a navy coat with gold thread and black breeches. Gee could hardly breath as he looked in her direction.

Their eyes locked and her heart stopped. He smiled and Llewellyn put his coat around her shoulders and whispered in her ear to go home. The pirates smile faded and her heart dropped into her stomach.

Why was she feeling like this? She shook off the sudden emotions and decided to paid attention to what her father was saying.

"Cretins like you deserve to go to hell as immediately as you are borne of it. They are to be hanged tomorrow morn." Governor James' voice was final, indicating no argument.

Gee cried out, making all eyes turn to her. She blushed and sighed as she stupidly lifted her eyes to meet those of what she presumed to be the pirate Captain's.

They seemed black now and she could barely turn herself away. But one look at her father's outraged face made her want to leave as soon as possible.

"Georgiana, I shan't enquire as to your reasons for abandoning my previous orders but now demand you return home. Immediately!" She acquiesced, curtseying before her current company.

Her heart hurt for some strange reason as she turned to leave. Later, when she was sat at her vanity, brushing her hair well into the early morning, Gee made a promise to herself that she would not let those pirates die without meeting them first.


	2. Breathless, then Alone

Sara -though she'd never admit it- smiled inwardly at her lord's form of punishment for his daughter's disobedience. He had bought her a french gown.

Though very beautiful and fashionable, the current trend was to have a very tightly laced corset. Sara grinned devilishly when Georgiana's back was turned.

Her lady breathed in sharply as Sara pulled on the strings, hard. The gown itself was golden in colour, with cream underskirts and rose-themed decoration.

Gee's hair had been teased in an elaborate coiffure, with various curls of chestnut hair falling prettily over her pale neck.

Sara sighed when she saw her lady, having watched her grow from a pink-faced child to a beautiful young woman. Her mother would be very proud, bless her soul.

Gee could hardly breathe as she left the house in the carriage. Literally. She knew Sara had done this as retribution for her indiscretion the night before.

Her bosom swelled from the lack of space, rising and falling rapidly as the young lady tried to recover some of her breath. She flicked her wrist, snapping her fan open.

Her father was speaking,

"Yes, I believe it will be most excellent. Ah, here we are." Gee shook her head, wondering what on earth her father had been talking about.

Georgiana stepped out of the carriage daintily, her slippered feet touching the ground lightly as Commodore Llewellyn clasped her hand tightly.

She ignored his sudden presence, choosing to focus on why she was here. The Pirates weren't meant to be killed until noon and it was still early.

"Yes, the soldiers are assembled for the ceremony. I am to make my announcem- Georgiana, why don't you take a walk?" She internally growled at Llewellyn's assumption she would follow his order but chose to anyway. It would make her day slightly more bearable, the further she was from him.

Not that he was ugly, on the contrary, Llewellyn was very handsome - dark hair, bright green eyes, a womanizing grin. But Gee could not stand him and his arrogance.

He was constantly flirting with her, spurred on further by her even more constant rebuttals.

Before she knew it, she had reached her destination. The Cells. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of mildew and rum escaping from its depths.

She bunched up the hem of her expensive gown with one hand and pushed open the rotting wooden door with the other. It was dark and cool as she stepped inside.

The young woman used a hand to balance herself against the slippery surface of the stone walls as she descended further into the darkness.

"Wish I'd stolen Llewellyn's lantern," she muttered to herself.

Eventually, the darkness subsided slightly and she found herself in a dimly-lit corridor lined with metal tools which looked sinister in the glow of the flickering light.

She quickly stepped further to the left, away from the dreadful things.

A voice from beside her made her jump.

"'Ello lovey, wass' a pretty thing like you doin' down 'ere then?"" The man who spoke was grimy, teeth rotting with yellowing eyes. Gee shuddered and quickened her pace.

She knew for a fact the Pirates were being held in the biggest cell due to the large size of the crew. And that cell was at the end of the corridor.

Once she had reached the end, she turned left and came face-to-face with the large iron cross-work that served as the door to the cell.

It was designed in such a way so she could interact with the prisoners without any danger, like her current situation.

All she could see was darkness, helped none by the failing light of the wall-lantern. "Hello?" She called out cautiously. There was no response.

Shrugging her shoulders, Gee went to sit on the floor by the wall. "I can wait. I have all the time in the world."

A shuffling could be heard deep in the cell. Georgiana's lips held a small smile as a face emerged into the light. It was a young man with cropped, golden hair and sparkling eyes. "Do you come to tease us?" His voice was deep, growl-like almost.

Gee shook her head sadly, her smile gone now. "I do not. I wish to know your reason for coming here."

The boy laughed. "I do not presume to speak for my Captain."

"Then where is your captain?" She straightened her spine as her governess had taught her.

He laughed again. "My Captain does not speak to just any visitor that comes through these doors."

"I am not just any visitor." Gee hated using her rank in society like so, but felt it was necessary to do what she wanted.

The pirate lad raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who are you then?"

"I am the daughter of your captor." The boy laughed a second time.

"And wha-" He was stopped mid-word by a sharp clap.

He shrank back into the darkness as his Captain stepped forward. "What do you want with me, my lady?" His voice was sultry, his eyes playful.

"What was your aim in coming here?" She stood up slowly and moved forward. He was directly before her, only metal between them.

"My reasons for that are private. Is that all?" He began to fade as he took a small step backwards.

Time froze for Georgiana. A wild thought had occurred to her, and she was debating it in her mind.

It seemed preposterous, and yet... Gee wanted to do it., she _needed_ to.

"Wait." Her voice was strong, sure. The complete opposite of what Georgiana truly felt.

The Captain returned to her sight. "Yes?"

"Where was your next destination after this?" Her future depended on his answer.

"I think, Shanghai." His eyes stared at her as she grinned shyly.

"I've never been outside this Island, that I can recall anyhow."

She tried to control her breathing as she waited for the Captain's response.

The sky was an easy blue above Gee while she waited for this ceremony to begin. The Pirates were being led before the stage, their scheduled hanging due after the service. She could hardly breathe now, her chest heaving. She noticed the worried looks the Pirate Captain was sending her way, but didn't acknowledge them.

During the ceremony, she had been required to appoint certain soldiers with different medals and had done so rather efficiently, she thought.

It was an elaborate affair, soldiers in their best uniforms, Island flowers decorating the pillars, the Governor overseeing it all. Jane stood beside her sister, jealous of the attention Gee was getting. Georgiana herself was unaware of it all, much too distracted.

The eyes of the soldiers had not left the beautiful woman and now watched interestedly as their Commodore stepped forward to take her hand.

Too occupied with attempting to breathe normally, Georgiana did not notice until she heard the fatal words,

"I am very pleased to announce, that Miss James and I are to be wed."

This time, her heart did a funny flip. Just before she fainted.

"Georgie!" Her sister's shrill scream pierced the air as Gee aroused from her faint. She noticed that someone had loosened the first few strings of her corset, which she was grateful for. She gasped happily, relieved to finally be able to breathe normally.

The sounds of clashing swords and shouts alerted her more clearly to her surroundings. Fighting had broken out, and Jane had attended to her sister rather than run for safety. "Jane, go." Her sister shook her dark curls in stubbornness. "Jane. Go!" Gee shouted loudly. This time, her sister decided to listen to her.

As soon as Jane had turned the corner, Georgiana felt herself being pulled upwards. Turning around, she came face to face with the Pirate Captain.

"Thank you. Does your request still stand?" He spoke louder than normal so as to be heard above all the fighting.

Gee nodded in response, keen to leave the disaster the ceremony had become. All because of her.

"Alright then. Follow me." He took her hand, and both tried to ignore the electric jolt they had felt at the touch of the other's skin.

She followed him as he weaved his way through the crowd of soldiers and protested when he pushed her into the arms of the white-haired black woman she had noticed earlier. He took one look at her bewildered expression and grinned lopsidedly.

"Don't fret; Nyanna will take you to our ship and we can speak then." Gee watched as the Captain rushed back into combat, swerving a newly-acquired sword at a soldier.

Nyanna dragged Gee by the arm towards where their ship was parked in the docks. Previously, Llewellyn had ordered the ship to be cleaned, re-painted and new sails to be hoisted for the ship to be used as a new addition to the Island's defense fleet. As luck would have it, they had only just begun to clean it.

Many of the original crew had already boarded the ship, they were waiting for a choice few including their Captain.

Georgiana stared around her in wonder as she joined the crew. She was surprised that none of the crew held any animosity towards her, that she could see anyway.

She was just about to ask Nyanna about this when she heard a shout. Gee leant over the edge to see Llewellyn and his men holding the Captain at knifepoint.

Gee couldn't understand why but the sight made her heart clench dangerously.

"Go." The Captain rasped, his voice chords inhibited by the large silver blade at his throat. Nyanna, presumably his second, shook her head.

Llewellyn smirked, confident in his victory. "Disembark the ship now or your Captain will meet his end."

Georgiana was shocked again at the amount of loyalty they held for their Captain. They were all preparing to surrender for the sake of his life.

Gee couldn't allow such loyal people to die and sighed in hatred for the Commodore.

"Llewellyn, let him go and I shall come down." Her voice was thick with annoyance at the arrogant man.

Llewellyn looked positively shocked, as did the Captain. "Georgiana, we will speak about this later. Come down now."

She growled at him, shocking him further. "Release the Captain and then I shall come down."

He huffed angrily. "Very well." He gestured for his soldier to release the Captain and push him towards the ship.

Gee turned to leave and passed the Captain. Before anyone could think, he had grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the ship with him.

Men opened fire as the Captan shouted orders at his crew. Several minutes later, they were sailing out of the cove at full speed.

Nyanna led Gee towards what was now her cabin and commanded her to remain here until the Captain wanted to speak with her in his rooms.

Georgiana suddenly felt very, very alone.


End file.
